House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) told Breitbart News in an exclusive comment on Thursday that House Republicans are combatting President Joe Biden’s “war on American energy.”
“Joe Biden declared war on American energy the moment he stepped foot into the Oval Office and left hardworking families to pay the price. House Republicans are once again governing where Joe Biden and the Democrats have failed by passing six commonsense energy bills to restore American energy dominance and lower costs for families,” Emmer told Breitbart News in a written statement.
House Republicans passed several bills aimed at combatting Biden’s climate agenda as part of the GOP “energy week.”
(iStock, Jim Lo Scalzo/Getty Images; BBN edit)
The House passed H.R. 1021 on Friday, which would repeal section 134 of the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund and repeal the natural gas tax.
American Exploration & Production Council (AXPC) CEO Anne Bradbury said in a statement after the passage of H.R. 1023:
In an era of global economic and security uncertainty, the punitive natural gas tax is counterproductive because it will lead to at least $6 billion in new taxes and higher energy prices for the American people.
It’s fitting that the pinnacle of ‘Energy Week’ in the House of Representatives is a vote to eliminate this burdensome tax on American energy, and the House should be commended for their work to provide relief to families and businesses.
Now is the time for Senators to demand a vote on this important legislation and show their support for lower energy prices.
One bill would repeal a program included in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that allocated $27 billion to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in lower-income areas.
Another bill would prevent the White House from placing a moratorium on fracking. Biden had promised during the 2020 presidential election to end fracking on federal lands. The 46th president has since allowed more oil and gas lease sales after a judge blocked Biden’s suspension of new leases on federal lands.
A package of five bills from Rep. David Rouzer (R-NC) would streamline the nationwide permit process.
House Republicans also proposed resolutions expressing contempt for Biden’s climate agenda:
Messaging resolutions: Two resolutions expressing contempt were introduced: One by Rep. Dan Newhouse, which denounces the Biden administration’s energy policies and calls out the White House for pausing liquefied natural gas exports, canceling the Keystone Pipeline project, restricting mining on federal lands, and more. The bill also would pin blame on the White House for high gas prices.
A concurrent resolution was introduced by Rep. Ryan Zinke (R-MT), which expresses disapproval of a carbon tax. The bill presents the argument that a carbon tax would increase energy prices and lead to jobs going overseas. Keep in mind that some Republicans have supported a carbon tax, and have introduced legislation that would enact a version of it.
Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-CO) bill would block the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) proposed rule which would charge companies higher royalties to drill on public land.
Sean Moran is a policy reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.
